Damrak 69, Amsterdam in 1912

Damrak 69, Amsterdam in 1912
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Douwes Fine Art
since 1805
Europe’s oldest single-family art gallery
celebrates its 200th Anniversary
The Douwes tradition began with a restoration workshop already in the 1760’s!
The second half of the 18th century saw the emergence of a rather fashionable
Amsterdam and the Douwes forebears tried to meet the desire of those who
wanted the beautiful ceilings of their imposing canal houses painted and restored.
To this day the firm remains in the same family and has been passed on from
father to son for many generations. The present owners of Douwes Fine Art are in
effect the seventh and eighth generation. However, according to the official
regulations of the St.Lucas guild, abolished shortly after 1808, they prefer to start
counting from their entry as an independently registered business on September
5th, 1805. Now in its sixth generation of art dealing and restoring since then, this
prestigious art gallery is the oldest of its kind in The Netherlands, and in Europe.
‘St. Luke’, Antwerp School, c. 1540
Whoever speaks to Evert Douwes Sr. and Jr. about two hundred years of
Douwes Fine Art, is impressed by their passion for art and by their knowledge.
Two ingredients that have been providing a rich and wide-ranging life for
generations. Wide-ranging, because Douwes is so much more than painting.
There is and was calligraphy, topography, writing about history, documenting,
restoring, and…. the selling of works of art. But Europe’s oldest family art
gallery cannot be resting on its laurels. On the contrary, the art market of 2005
is complicated, and has been changing too much.
This did not worry Hendrik Douwes, when in 1805 he decided to
officially register his own business. Hendrik was the son of a
shipwright and restorer called Evert, and the third of seven children.
He married Maria de Ruijter, and together they had two children. Of
these two, the boy was once again called Evert.
The enterprising twenty-year old signed the ‘burgher oath’ (‘poorter eed’)
allowing him to set himself up independently and join the artists guild St.Lucas.
And an artist and craftsman he was at that time. He practiced crafts that ranged
from the painting of theatre decors and boats to the gilding and bronzing of
picture frames. The Amsterdam of 1805 was busy developing scientific
knowledge and the resulting first tentative technologies.
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Many societies began to emerge to exchange that knowledge and experience.
They had ringing names such as “Vlijt is de Voedster der Wetenschappen”
(“Diligence is the foster mother of the Sciences”). Best-known society was
“Felix Meritis”, which aimed at the promotion of the arts and the sciences.
Hendrik must have spent many an interesting evening in the well-known
building on the Keizersgracht, and will also certainly have made friends with
future customers. The society became a beacon of the new times that were
slowly evolving from the traditional into the industrial. Hendrik himself was
still working in a purely traditional way, but was also in the meantime
cautiously orientating himself towards the art of painting itself, and
occasionally canvases of artist friends decorated his walls.
All his amassed knowledge was handed down to his son Evert (1809–1869),
who followed the road taken by his father, but also expanded the firm. In 1835,
he married the Roman Catholic Hendrina Sluyter, and together they had no
less than nine children. The family lived over the workshop on the N.Z.
Achterburgwal, the present Spuistraat. A frame-making department was added.
From the old records, we can infer that a gilded gold leaf frame cost 80
guilders. At present, this would have amounted to 6000 Euros.
Evert IV and Hendrina Douwes-Sluyter
Evert V
Led by Evert’s energetic sons, Evert (1843-1896) and Henri (1850-1938), it
became business in earnest. Aged 26 and 19, they changed the company’s name
into “Gebroeders Douwes” (“Douwes Brothers”), consisting of an art gallery, a framemaking department, and a restoration workshop, all situated at the Grimburgwal
nr.15, in Amsterdam. Henri became a genuine “Amsterdam expert”, and expert in
topographic maps of Amsterdam, prints, and contemporary art.
He was married to Francisca M. Engelkamp, and together they had
four daughters, and a son Evert Josephus Maria.
The restoration workshop became an even more important part of the art gallery,
and throughout those two centuries it remained a thread running through the
firm’s history. The well-known restorer and painter of landscapes W.J.Walter
became Henri’s tutor. Among other things, he taught him the art of relining. The
present Evert Jr. (1953): “My great-grandfather had that drive to want to perfectly
master the art of restoring. You can imagine that as a restorer you are also a bit of
an artist. What was it the painter intended to convey, what techniques were used?
You try to get under the artist’s skin in order to preserve as much as possible of
the authenticity of the piece.” Henri’s striking facial features betray his being more
of an artist than a dealer. That the business survived at all, was because of his wife,
for Henri – called “Paatje Douwes” (“Daddy Douwes”) by the family – often gave
customer friends an etching or other work to take home “and see how it looks”.
His wife saw to it that it would indeed be paid for.
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Francisca and Henri Douwes-Engelkamp
Print from our glass negative, c. 1900
After 1880, photography started to play a significant role in the life of the
Douwes brothers. Henri (brother Evert had died in 1896 at the age of 50) was
a passionate photographer who, just as his contemporaries Jacob Olie and
George Breitner, roamed the town in order to capture the images of
Amsterdam. Modern times demanded alterations to be made in the town.
Canals were filled, streets widened, and offices built. Photography made it
possible to preserve the old and the new town views. The latter can be
observed in the watercolour “Horses and the building of Houses” by Breitner,
which even in 1923 fetched 1375 guilders. Collecting and trading photographic
town views and glass plate negatives became an integral part of the firm.
The 1885 opening of the Central Station gave an impulse to tourism. (Right
from the opening of the railway track, Henri had been commuting from
Bussum to Amsterdam, and in 1935 was honoured by the Railways as their
oldest customer). Henri Douwes responded to tourism by selling brownish
picture postcards to the day-trippers for a tiny amount. Americans also
started to visit the gallery and bought the entire supply of “Dam-views”.
Because of their move to the Damrak in about 1901/1902, where dealing in
paintings was starting to become more and more dominant, 28 handcarts of
prints were auctioned off. But his passion for Amsterdam prints had not
cooled. At auctions, Henri was playfully called the “glutton”.
Postcards in traditional costumes, c. 1900
Cornelis Vreedenburgh
Tourists could even have their pictures taken in traditional costumes.
Evert Douwes Sr. (1928) now still remembers costumed dolls in the
gallery window. His father and aunt had served as models for the
camera, dressed in Volendam or Marken costumes. As a matter of
fact, these fishing villages with their populations dressed in traditional
costumes were an additional favourite tourist destination.
The Dutch town view was an important subject in the second half of the 19th
century, the time of Romanticism. Painters such as Springer, Vertin, and Adrianus
Eversen were wandering artists that have recorded and visualised many such a
town view. They will undoubtedly have submitted their canvases and panels to
Henri, which, after being taken there by handcart, will have graced the walls of the
gallery. Henri either bought them or held them on consignment.
A prominent artist was Klinkenberg. His town views were very clear and
lively. To try and sell Johannes’s latest works, he did the rounds using his
carrier cycle. At that time, 800 guilders would already have to be paid for his
art. Douwes Sr.: “When in 1928 his studio was auctioned off, my father
bought a 17th century four-door Dutch cabinet, which is now at my son’s.”
From 1905 onwards, the works of art that were traded, were photographed.
That is how we know that Henri regularly acquired Amsterdam town views and
South Holland landscapes from painters like Cornelis Vreedenburgh. Or from
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lesser-known masters such as Van Prooyen and Rijkelijkhuizen. They were bought
by passing tourists or art-loving brokers working at the nearby Stock Exchange,
who Henri met on his daily train runs. They became good customers.
Amsterdam and its history were Henri’s passion. He made pictures,
collected and traded old town maps, painted town views, and knew everyone
that occupied himself in an artistic and historical manner with Amsterdam. In
the meantime, his restoration workshop had moved to new premises in the
Warmoesstraat nr. 73. The ornamentation business – many an Amsterdam
signboard was made here – was sold off because of a diminished demand.
Douwes Sr.: “My grandfather’s heart was with the Amsterdam etchings and
prints. He had a vast collection and shared his passion with among others
Willem Dreesmann, father of the recently deceased Anton Dreesmann. Willem
had various collection fields, just as his father; but his preferences tended
towards the Amsterdam town views. In the arts, the two families were closely
linked for generations. Catholicism also played its part in this. To all these
prints, Henri added descriptions. The lithograph became popular in about
1900, and caused a boom in prints. It was one of Henri’s passions. At one time,
I found an original engraving of the Nieuwmarkt (New Market) with the Waag
(the Scales). Written on its back, I discovered an elaborate historical description
in my grandfather’s handwriting, dated 1923.”
Henri Douwes and his restorers, c. 1915
As Senior now says, “Douwes Brothers during the first one hundred years was
art with a small ‘a’. A small firm, from a good location in Amsterdam dealing on
a limited scale in all kinds of matters relating to art and photography.” How did
major art dealers of that time conduct their business? Sala, one of the biggest in
Leiden, frequented the workshops of the representatives of the Hague School
(Haagse School), and sold their works in Scotland, from where they went to
Canada. Or Van Wisselingh, who went to the United States to organise selling
exhibitions with painters of The Hague School.
One generation later, art with a capital ‘A’ arrived, and Douwes could measure
himself with the finest of the profession. The sixth Evert (1888-1971) in a row
who was to see this happen, first went to the German town of Breslau in 1910
before entering his father’s business. It so happened that the renowned art dealer
Wenzel from Breslau was in Amsterdam, and Henri asked him if he had an
internship for his son. That period of working as a volunteer would introduce
Evert to Central Europe and its art. The now rechristened Polish town of Wroclaw
(Breslau) was then a distinguished town of science and culture. There, but also in
nearby Dresden and Leipzig, members of the Polish and Hungarian nobility
bought much of their art. In the end, Evert was to stay there for two and a half
years, a period that would give him much knowledge and love for the old masters.
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Evert VI by W.G. Hofker, 1956
Hendrick Avercamp
The period that followed, spent in Frankfurt with the world famous
Haenfstangel, would prove to be of lasting significance to his interest in
documenting art. Haenfstangel was the first photographer to come up
with a method of producing perfect reproductions of paintings in larger
quantities, the famous brownish prints (carbon transfers). To this end, he
went to all the European museums and art dealers, photographing the
whole of western art spanning the period from 1200 to 1800. The
photos were printed in dark-brown hues on thin paper of approximately
A4 size. It fascinated Evert, who saw it as a means of increasing his
knowledge. At his departure, he received 10.000 of these photo images
as a gift, and they became the basis of the present library. Once again,
here was a Douwes generation that made a case for documentation, and
would hand it on to the next generation. In 1918, he wrote to a trainee
being considered for employment about his future activities: “Bookkeeping
at present is simply structured, but we are lagging behind. Once we have caught up,
there will be much time for talking with possible visitors, setting up a card index filing
system, and the collection of Old-Amsterdam. I have laid the basis for a technical
library (still modest, though) that will serve every member of the firm.”
When, a couple of years later, Evert opened his London branch, he
met Sir Robert Witt (1872 – 1952). A passionate man, who collected and
catalogued art reproductions of paintings and also of sculptures.
Together, they improved and perfected both of their systems. The
Douwes archive was in long rows of green boxes containing grey folders.
The traditional green boxes later formed the start of the DeWitt Library,
a part of the famous London Courtauld Institute of Art.
Our gallery sign, c. 1930
In the Netherlands, we have the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documen-tatie –
RKD (‘National Bureau of Art Historical Documentation’). Of this respected
institute, too, Douwes was the one who laid the basis. He had met Professor
Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (1863-1930), a well-known art historian, publicist,
collector, and expert in the field of 17th century Dutch painting. Already in
1895, the basis for Hofstede’s interest in art documentation was laid when, as
an assistant to Mauritshuis director Bredius, he made the museum catalogue.
Many years later at Douwes’s, he saw the ‘green boxes’, which resulted in an
identical setup of his own art archive. Eventually, in 1926, he donated this
archive to the nation, and formed the basis for the founding of the RKD.
Douwes Sr.: “My father always bought three catalogues when at an exhibition. He
kept one, and the remaining two were completely cut up. Thus, of each artist he
collected as many pictures of his work as possible. In this way, with the help of the
whole family, the library grew to such proportions that, in the eighties, we
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sold to the Getty Museum those foreign art movements and art
schools that we did not do business in. At present, we focus on
archiving only those that we do business in.”
Having worked in Frankfurt for six months, the time for the real work at his
father’s in Amsterdam started in 1913. One of the first things Evert initiated
was a reduction of the activities not directly related to painting. Costume dolls,
photos, and all sorts of ‘bric á brac’, as his son now calls it, left the premises.
Meanwhile, father Henri had grown older and considered it just fine that his
son wanted to approach things differently. What remained was of course the
restoration work, but from now on the frames were to be made elsewhere.
There were good Italian frame makers in the Kalverstraat, such as Lurasco and
Grisanti, who for centuries had handed down their craft. The art of calligraphy,
once started by Evert (V) in the 19th century, was still only practiced to meet
the need of making stylish name plaques to go with the paintings.
Evert Douwes Sr.: ‘I remember how my old restoration tutor Minne Bakker,
employed by us for 69 years, had to go to Wynand Focking’s (Amsterdam
distillery) bar. On those occasions, he went to fetch for restoration the old round
bottles with their lavish, multi-coloured inscriptions. Already in the 19th century,
calligraphy was used by my great-uncle to decorate those bottles. At present, they
are still in the bodega, as ornamental bottles. Eventually, the Douwes calligraphy
resulted in the Amsterdam script letter, still being taught at art colleges. “Johann
Wilhelm Beekmann Sr. (1867-1918), employed by my grandfather during 25 years
until 1906, trained his son Johann (1895-1986) who became the famous letter
writer. He beautified this script letter, which can still be seen on the name plaques
of the many paintings in the Frans Hals Museum at Haarlem.”
World War I erupted, and Evert had to take up arms. He was quartered in
Fort Kadijk, in the province of North Holland. Though he came home
regularly for the weekends, business for that reason could not yet be pursued
vigorously. During the war (1914-1918), the art trade slumped. It was made
even worse when in 1916 the government slapped a ‘luxury tax’ of 3% on the
possession of art. Father Henri, though, continued to run the gallery, and was
still busy writing the history of Amsterdam. After two years, Evert was allowed
to leave the military early, because he had to provide for two families. From
then on, the old masters were gradually introduced into the gallery. Bought at
Dutch auction houses and sold only to Dutch customers, because the war had
caused the market to become very domestically orientated.
Minne Bakker, 69 years with Douwes
Johann Beekmann (1895-1986)
After the war, Evert approached business on a grand scale, and in 1919 they
moved to a large building at Rokin 46, in which all disciplines could now be
housed. Evert Douwes Sr.: “I still remember, as a small boy of five, the little ferry
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Inventory log-book, c.1920’s
that crossed the Rokin, which at the time was still a canal”. Douwes was one of
the first to settle there. Antique dealer Delaunoy, and art dealer Van Wisselingh
already had. In the prosperous twenties, the Rokin, with its approximately
twenty-five fine art and antique dealers, became the art boulevard of the
Netherlands. From that time onwards, Douwes focused on purely 17th century
Flemish and Dutch masters, the Hague School, and Romanticism. His first
foreign customers after WW1 were predominantly Germans that he had
acquainted when working with Wenzel in Breslau. Laurens van Dam was such
a customer. A Jewish collector from Berlin, who – just as many of his kinsmen
– was very interested in art. They, too, became Evert’s customers and could
add a Dutch master to their collections, when in Amsterdam.
On the new premises, the first selling exhibition was organised in 1920.
Gerard van Spaendonck
In 1925, Evert Jr.’s grandfather had gone to hotel Huis ter Duin in
Noordwijk, where, in the adjacent coach house, he exhibited for the ‘cream
of the crop’, then spending their holidays there. In general, however, the
paintings stayed put in Amsterdam, and there was little going on tours.
Owing to the recovering economy, the Dutch art world was very active in the
aftermath of WW1. The period from 1920 to 1928 turned into an important art
market with many international buyers. In that time, with the arts prospering,
there were a number of Amsterdam lead players. Auctioneers Frederik Muller,
as the only quality auction house, played an important role. (Douwes had
succeeded in buying all of their old catalogues, which are an important part of
the present library). In 1911, the ‘Vereniging van Handelaren in Oude Kunst
– VHOK’ (‘Dutch Art and Antique Dealers Association’) was established,
and in 1919, Evert was one of the founders of the “Nederlandse
Kunstkopersbond – NKB” (‘Dutch Art Buyers Association’). This association,
purely intended for art dealers in contemporary art, aimed at promoting the
art from 1850 to 1919 and beyond, and organised exhibitions to this end.
Other members were a.o. Sala, Du Bois, Elbert Jan van Wisselingh (on the
Rokin), Buffa (in the Kalverstraat), art dealer C.M. van Gogh (on the Rokin)
- called ‘uncle Cor’ by the painter Vincent - and Caramelli & Tessaro.
Willem van de Velde the Younger
Evert VI with ‘Paatje and Maatje’ Douwes
Douwes Sr.: ‘my father was always on the board, and even I have for a
long time been their secretary. I believe it is now in a dormant state.”
There was the passionate collector Frits Lugt (1884-1970), who, even before
finishing secondary school, was already employed by Frederik Muller and acquired
a vast knowledge while there. In addition, using his keen eye and excellent visual
memory, and together with his wealthy wife, he built an imposing collection of
paintings and drawings. Eventually, he housed his collection in the Fondation
Custodia, part of the Institut Néerlandais in Paris. In the seventies,
Vincent van Gogh
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Douwes Gallery exhibition, Huis ter Duin, Noordwijk 1925
Amsterdam, the Rokin with ferry-boat, c. 1930
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Evert Douwes Jr. was to make descriptions of a part of this art
collection, which he also studied to improve his knowledge.
Douwes maintained close ties with another Amsterdam art gallery, namely that
of Jacques Goudstikker. The man, whose heirs now demand the return of his
paintings, was the third generation of their art gallery. Between the two was a
lively exchange of paintings. The name Goudstikker frequently appears in the
buying and selling records dating from the early twenties. In 1922, for example,
Douwes sold to him a church interior from Emmanuel de Witte for 1.750
guilders, acquired in 1921 for 1.542 guilders. In 1923, he sold him a Davis Bles,
‘Ora et Labora’ for 350 guilders, which he had acquired in 1921 for 300 guilders.
Frans van Mieris
Goudstikker also focused on early Italian art, a school still not so well
known in the Netherlands. He approached business on a grand scale, and,
after buying Nyenrode Castle, he organised gorgeous exhibitions there, with
lavishly illustrated catalogues. Douwes Sr.: ‘He was probably influenced by
the art dealer Duveen, who was earning richly in New York and spending it
in circles of rich industrialists such as Randolph Hearst.
Goudstikker was the man of the grand gesture, and could easily be
wide off the mark. My father cautioned him once when he wanted to
sell a Hercules Seghers still life for a lot of money. Later, it turned out
to be part of a bigger canvas by an Italian painter”.
Rokin, ‘Spiegelzaal’, c. 1930
George Hendrik Breitner
In 1922, a newcomer with 17th century Dutch and Flemish masters, spoken
of highly by both father and son Evert, was the Pieter de Boer art gallery,
established at Herengracht 512. They shared an interest in the same period
of painting, and they, too, learned from each other. De Boer was the first to
organise an exhibition of Dutch still lifes, including among others paintings
by Willem Claesz. Heda. Evert Douwes in turn also acquired the most
beautiful work of his lesser-known son Gerrit Heda, now in the collection
of the Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts. Douwes Sr.: “ What I admire
in De Boer is that, even in times of crisis, he continued to organise
exhibitions. He was perhaps inspired by Goudstikker, who organised
regular exhibitions, a.o. one of winter landscapes in 1932.”
In the 18th and 19th centuries, British nobility was already buying a lot of art,
Obituary of Henri Douwes, 1938
among them many Dutch old masters. Of the 17th century ‘fine’ painter
(‘fijnschilder’) Godfried Schalcken is known that he sold his paintings directly in
England. In the twenties, London, with its prominent auction houses, became the
source of old masters. That is why in 1922, Evert decided to open a London
branch and went to live there, while father Henri took care of the business in
Amsterdam. At a later stage, a partner, Hein Hoes, who was in charge of sales in
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Amsterdam, joined the firm. Evert married Allegonda Vogt, and together they had
three sons and a daughter. In an interview on his 80th birthday, he reminisced: “I
also went to London in 1927 on our honeymoon. I had promised to forget about
paintings for a fortnight. We went into hiding in a small hotel, and yet somebody
tracked me down. The end of the story was that I came home with two
Saenredams, and one Jan Steen.” With Jan Steen, Evert was very familiar. “That is
because of Bredius, who taught me much about him. In the prime of my life, I
knew more about Jan Steen than most of my colleagues put together.”
Evert VI and Gonny Douwes-Vogt
Between the two world wars, London was the Mecca for art dealers. Every
week was certain to bring a ‘discovery’. A canvas or panel offered in a dirty
unrecognizable condition would turn out to be a great master. That discovery
was sometimes only made in Amsterdam, after Evert, who lived in London for
nine months a year, with his load of paintings had left for the Rokin by boat
and train. Another possibility was that he thought he had bought a Van Goyen,
the signature ‘came off’ and it turned out to be a Schoeff. Nowadays, this
would be a financial disaster, but at that time the damage remained limited due
to the minimal investment. Douwes Sr.: ‘one could as it were still find a Van
Goyen every week.’ Another restorer of our firm, Jan Schutte, who was with us
for 53 years, had an instinctive feel for and knowledge of 17th century painting.
Evert Sr.: ‘...my father regularly invited him to London to do the sales together
and discuss the quality of the pictures offered for sale, in order to pick the
better ones for our collection...’.
At present, thanks to our improved knowledge, they would no longer all be
considered Van Goyens. Market development was not then a priority, so the ten
odd Jan van Goyens were not bought in order to stash them away for investment
purposes. After all, on average they would cost 300 guilders a piece. No, you
bought only the very best, for around 1.200 guilders. In addition, a lesser master in
the same genre would cost just 200 guilders less. The difference between a Jan van
Goyen and a Jacob Woutersz. Knijff was 120 guilders. Whenever my father
considered the Knijff to be better, he would buy that one. He always bought the
top segment of the lesser-known masters, and the time came when he did indeed
have many customers for them. You have to educate people. Many people prefer
to buy a bad painting of a great master before a quality painting of a lesser master.
He did his buying not only in London, but travelled the length and breadth of
Britain and Ireland. For example, he found a Holbein portrait in Ireland, sold it to
the textile magnate Van Heeck. At present it is in the Rijksmuseum Twente
(National Gallery of Twente), in the Dutch town of Enschede.”
He must have told many a fascinating tale about his ‘discoveries’ in the London
of that time. When putting that question to (the present) Evert Douwes Sr., he
tells somewhat ruefully that at the start of the sixties he had failed to record his
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Sale at Christies, London, c. 1920’s
Jan Schutte, 53 years with Douwes
Jan Steen
Frans Hals
Barend C. Koekkoek
Johan B. Jongkind
Jubilee exhibition, 1955
father’s stories. He does still remember some of the family’s ‘discoveries’,
though. For example, one of the most beautiful Saenredams, the one of the
Maria Church in Utrecht; an important Frans Hals portrait and a
Rembrandt landscape; a Jan Steen sold to the Rotterdam shipowner
Goudriaan and now in the Metropolitan in New York; two Aert de Gelder
paintings, which are in Melbourne (Australia) and in the J.P.Getty Museum
in Malibu (USA); one of the most beautiful Hendrick Avercamps now in
Toledo, donated by a Canadian banker they once sold it to; important still
lifes by Willem Heda and Pieter Claesz., acquired by the amiable US Senator
John Heinz, are now on loan at the National Gallery in Washington. The
contents of the acquisition and sales records of the twenties, which
fortunately do indeed still exist, would be the dream of each and every art
dealer living in 2005. A selection: ‘Summer landscape’ by B.C. Koekkoek, bought
in 1923 for 975 guilders, sold in 1923 to one Dreesmann for 1.500 guilders. A
‘Summer landscape’ by Andreas Schelfhout, bought from Frederik Muller in 1921 for
352 guilders and sold in the same year for 650 guilders. A ‘Merry company’ by Jan
Steen, bought in 1921 for 16.104 guilders and sold in 1921 for 25.000 guilders. A
watercolour by Jacob Maris, ‘View of a harbour’, bought for 203 guilders and sold for
300 guilders. ‘Work at the farm’ by Jozef Israëls, bought in 1921 for 1450 guilders and
sold in 1923 voor 2.880 guilders. A panel by Peter Paul Rubens, “Christ as gardener’,
bought in 1922 for 12.250 guilders, sold in 1923 for 19.000 guilders.
It paints a picture of the world of the father of Douwes Sr. “There was a
massive supply, you travelled a lot, and with a lot of knowledge made many
discoveries. In those times, my father knew more than most of the others. I
myself now know more than he did. I would have loved to work in his period
of time with my present knowledge. I would have made a lot of money.”
The ‘crash’ of 1929 forced the closure of the London branch in 1932. The family
returned to Holland and settled in Bussum, where in the meantime father Henri
had also moved. In Amsterdam too, times were hard, with occasionally slim profit
margins. Douwes Sr.: “In 1928, my father bought a magnificent Aert van de Neer
for 10.000 guilders, and in 1937 he was offered 2.000 guilders for it, which he
accepted because it enabled him to at least pay his employees. Some twelve years
ago, I sold it on behalf of the owner’s son for 300.000 guilders.” Those who kept
buying were the physicians. In the crisis years, they were taxed only twenty percent.
A group with a lot of affinity for art, culturally grounded, and still able to build a
collection. With a sense of nostalgia, Douwes Sr. speaks of the time of collectors
such as Ten Kate, Van Heeck, Heldring. And of the affinity for art and culture
which has become so much less, the taste that has also become much more
internationally oriented. ‘I remember an important sale in 1934. To one of our
loyal customers, my father sold five paintings for 18.000 guilders.
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One of those five was a Van Goyen, and the other a Jan Steen. Later,
I saw pictures again of these two paintings; just the two of them
would now fetch 600.000 to 700.000 Euros.
In the second half of the thirties, Douwes and de Boer had many German
customers who avoided the Jewish Goudstikker, because of the already latent
German anti-semitism. When WW2 erupted, trading with the regular German art
dealers went on till about the first half of 1942. Douwes Sr.: ‘Most of the
important art dealers initially still traded with their regular German colleagues such
as Plietsch and Hofer, until they got wind of the fact that the paintings were in
turn sold straight to the ranks of the German high command. From then on, they
notified each other whenever German art dealers came to Amsterdam. Then it was
up to you; my father took care not to be in the gallery and stopped doing business.
During the war, food became a problem. My father solved it in part by exchanging
his paintings. I remember a beautiful painting of the 17th century painter Frans
Snijders in our house. It was exchanged for a bale of sugar and many other food
items. Relatives, too, had to eat to stay alive, and it meant that in May 1945 the
gallery stock had been reduced from a few hundred to eventually eight paintings.
After the war, we were not involved in selling former confiscated Jewish art
possessions. On the contrary, our large safe was filled with paintings entrusted to
us by two Jewish owners. Everything was returned to them or to their families. In
addition, together with the directors (Roëll and Sanberg) of the Rijksmuseum
(‘National Art Gallery’) and the Stedelijk Museum (‘Amsterdam Municipal Art
Gallery’), my father was also active in the foundation Nederlands Kunstbezit (‘Dutch
National Heritage Collection’), which tracked down Dutch works of art in German
possession.
In 1948, at the request of the Ministry of Justice, Evert wrote a report on
the art trade during the war years. In 1943, six times as much as in 1940
was paid for works of the Old Masters, and even eight times as much for
paintings from the Romantic School period. After 1944, however, prices
declined sharply. In about 1947, they had dropped some 70% for the
Old and Romantic Masters, and 40% for the Moderns.
Winning his bet in 1943
In 1947, during the courtcase dealing with forgeries by Han van Meegeren,
Gebr. Douwes with photos and written records was instrumental in proving
thay the underlying painting of the so-called Last Supper - bought by D.G.
van Beuningen, and now in the museum Boymans-Van Beuningen,
Rotterdam - was in fact a pristine, large canvas by Abraham Hondius
Tableau of a Hunting scene. X-ray publications showed the underlying image,
which is identical to the plate of the original painting by Hondius.
Brotherly spirit in the inner circle of art dealers during the time of war can best be
illustrated with the joint visit of Evert (1888) and his colleague D.A.Hoogendijk
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A. Hondius, underpainting of Van Meegeren
to an auction of Fredrik Muller’s in 1943. Both professionals placed a bet
on the exact result of its sales proceeds. As it turned out, Evert was right
on the mark and won it. Soon afterwards, he was presented with a
symbolic token of their esteem: three of the finest cigars together with a
framed document handwritten and signed by the losers of this bet.
The 6th of March 1946 was the day Evert Douwes Sr. entered his father’s
Evert VII with Ochtervelt, 1963
Opening Delft Art Fair, 1964
Delft Fair exhibitors, 1964
Evert VII, by L. van Dijk, 1969
employ. About this he says, “After the crisis and the war period, we were flooded
by restoration work. My father said ‘come and join me right after school to learn
the craft.’ It was not my number one wish, but the restoration work fascinated me
to such an extent that I did it for ten years. Restoring was and is important to us,
because you make new contacts. People need a valuation, or want to sell the
painting after its restoration, or give it on consignment. The latter is interesting, for
the art trade prefers to purchase works of art from private collections and in the
auction room that have not circulated too widely. Since 1991, we also have a
restoration studio in Friesland, where my son Erick (1956) works.”
It did not stop at restoration, because once every fortnight during more than
three years, Douwes Sr. was privately tutored in the history of art by the wellknown professor Willem Vogelsang. Vogelsang was known in the art trade
because of his valuations, handwritten for 25 Euros. Signature or brushstroke
were thus scientifically validated, and professors were able to supplement their
meagre salaries. Practical experience abroad was acquired in London and Paris,
whenever father and son did the rounds of the auction houses and the dealers.
In 1947, he spent much time with his godfather Karel Duits, a well-known art
dealer, whose family had settled in London in the twenties.
In 1952, he married Nelleke Huf, niece of the famous Dutch
photographer Paul Huf (1929-2002). Together, they had three sons
(Evert-Jules, Erick-Hans, and Peter), and a daughter (Pia).
In the early fifties, Douwes Sr., who had after all fallen in love with
London, really tried to establish himself in there. He did restoration
work for a year, but then duty called him back to Amsterdam. His
help was needed in the preparation of the 1955 Jubilee exhibition.
After celebrating the 150th anniversary – “we made a retrospective of what
we had sold in those 150 years” –, Douwes Sr. was asked to take over from
his father. On this, he says: “at a certain moment my father said to me ‘I
have seen it all’. In retrospect, I can now understand this. He had had a
splendid time from 1918-1930, followed by the crisis and then WW2. This
meant that he had hardly been able to do anything between 1930 and 1945.
So, how do you continue from there? A reputable business, knowledge, and
a number of paintings. What else can you do but to start all over again?”
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Immediately after WW2, he attempted to get the business going again and in
the process was asked to fill various board memberships. Buying abroad was
not allowed. The Dutch art trade was forced to turn national for some years.
The trade bought and sold amongst themselves, with the auction house as an
important source. Paintings from private individuals were of course always
being offered, or people wanted to exchange one painting for another. Trade
by barter is a phenomenon of all times. Heirs less happy with the choice of
their parents came and are still coming regularly to hand in objects and
exchange it for something else more suited to their tastes. Douwes Sr.: ‘My
father negotiated intensively with the ministerial departments to obtain foreign
currency for the art trade that would enable them to buy abroad, and in which
he succeeded in 1948. The art trade received foreign currency to the tune of
213.820 guilders, to be divided among those firms that were internationally the
most active. The Adviesbureau voor den Kunsthandel (“Consultancy Office for the
Art Trade”) was founded with its offices on my father’s premises. All it did was
to distribute the currencies and register the acquisitions. My father was so
absorbed by this that he partly neglected his own firm.
Of course, I substituted for him during that time, but was also fully occupied
doing restorations. A regular customer was the late E.J.van Wisselingh art
gallery on the Rokin, for which we have done all of their restoration work
during fifteen years after the war. Van Wisselingh conducted business in many
French post-, pre-, and impressionists, which all of them I saw ‘pass by’. This is
how I acquired my knowledge of and interest in the French masters. I was
longing for something different from the 19th century ‘snapshots’, and about
1960 I started buying my first French pre-impressionists. What fascinated me
most were the precursors of the impressionists, the ‘école de Barbizon’.
Inspired by the Dutch 17th century landscapes of Ruysdael and Hobbema, they
had gone ‘outside’ (‘en plein-air’), to Barbizon, a hovel in the woods of
Fontainebleau, south-east of Paris.’ Douwes Sr. became friends with a London
art dealer, Herbert Terry-Engell, from whom he bought a lot. Together they
went to Swiss auctions, where many French impressionists were sold.
In the sixties, Douwes Sr. saw prices rise through greater prosperity and
an increase in knowledge; the connoisseur paid ever more for quality.
In the seventies, art as an investment started to play a role. The big names
became rare and more expensive, with demand increasing and the buyer
becoming more critical. Prices of lesser masters also went up, as did prices
of Old Dutch and Flemish drawings, another love of Douwes Sr..
Evert VI, photo Paul Huf, 1956
Rokin, by W.G. Hofker, 1974
Evert VII at the Rokin, c. 1990
The market for drawings is much smaller than for paintings, and the big collectors
live in the States. They are also the ones that have driven up prices in the past
decennia. Douwes at present has a beautiful 17th century Saverij drawing costing
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H. Terry-Engell and Nelleke Douwes
Prince Bernhard visits TEFAF, 1982
Opening Douwes in London, 1979
Cornelis Springer exh. at Douwes, 1984
46.000 Euros. In the sixties, it would have cost 10.000 guilders, just a tenth
of its present value. There was even a time when drawings cost a few
guilders, as the following anecdote relates: “Though ‘uncle Joh’, who took
all the time in the world for his study of the classical languages, did not go
into the business, he did have a keen eye for it. In 1923 he came home one
day carrying a drawing by Esaias van de Velde dated 1628, for which he had
paid 12 guilders. My grandfather became angry, “you focus on your
studies”, and bought the drawing from his son. About 30 years ago, I came
across the drawing and sold it to a German industrialist for 18.000 guilders.
Nowadays, that Van de Velde would be worth 65.000 Euros.”
In 1976, entirely in keeping with his father’s tradition of always buying
the top of the smaller 17th century masters, the first exhibition of just
French paintings followed, ‘Paysage de France’, with mainly lesserknown French masters, among them many ‘école de Barbizon’ painters.
The show with over a hundred paintings was entirely sold out.
This ‘école de Barbizon’, with well-known painters such as Daubigny and
Rousseau, became the specialty of Douwes Sr.. Throughout the seventies, he
built a considerable market for it. Yet, within the total Douwes supply, this
French movement has always remained of limited size. “The genuine collectors
did not come to me, but bought directly in Paris or from Van Wisselingh. In
the meantime, in nearly a century, the latter had already built a worldwide
reputation in the field of French great masters. Nowadays, you would go to
Noortman. But for a Ruysdael, you would go to de Boer or to Douwes.”
To maintain this reputation, Evert Douwes Sr. organised regular exhibitions.
Senior considers the still life exhibition of 1968 one of the highlights of his career.
“I had made a wonderful shop window with objects from a Steenwijk painting of
1660. The painting with the objects ranged in front of it drew crowds of viewers.”
Thirty-five thousand slides of paintings are the result of shots taken since the
sixties. Two-thirds is 17th century, half of which still lifes, the rest is 19th century.
Our library, Stadhouderskade, 2001
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The library and multi-media section are famous at home and abroad. Many
students find their way to them, and many a curator or museum director drops by.
Douwes Sr. in fact continues what his great-grandfather started in 1905, and what
the latter’s son continued with an initial 10.000 carbon transfers. Senior takes
about seven exposures per painting. “Putting these in a row next to each other,
you can see right away whether something is good, has been restored, or is a fake,
but especially can one study the ever so important brush technique. My slide
collection is some sort of a hobby. I also take pictures with colleagues at fairs and
such, in order to collect as much material as possible. I want to record for later
generations the knowledge I have acquired. When my son wants to buy a flower
still life and thinks, “is it a David de Heem or a Cornelis de Heem”, he
In 2005, fifth & sixth generation Douwes Fine Art: Evert VII and Evert VIII.
(courtesy of More Than Classic, photo Freek Esser)
20
can then go upstairs and project a number of paintings by both, and
by then it should be clear to him.”
38 Duke Street, St. James’s, London
Evert VIII in London, 1980
Douwes Fine Art opens in London, 1979
It is not usual or natural that a son follows in his father’s footsteps. Evert
Douwes Jr. tells about his doubts and hesitations when in secondary school in
the late sixties and early seventies, and about the fact that studying medecine
and psychology also attracted him. When visiting customers with his father and
grandfather, he did however realize that psychological insight into people and
their decision-making processes did certainly play a role. Art and psychology
could thus be happy partners. Evert Jr.: “I was the eldest, and as a juvenile I
already sensed the presence of a background I couldn’t just shake off; a
background for which I already felt a sense of responsibility. My father has
always left me free to make up my own mind. I had strong ties with my
grandfather, a scholarly man, who told me much of his knowledge and
experiences. He taught me to become aware of how much pleasure it gives to
gather knowledge about art. He himself was still working in the library. My
father has a phenomenal knowledge which he has handed down to me, and
which he still hands on to others. He has the rare and passionate gift of
wanting to share his knowledge. Armed with the insights of two generations,
you then ask yourself: “how can I contribute?” It became Art History.
But first, he was enlisted in the Dutch Army, and gradually was assigned to that
small army unit responsible for the protection of the Dutch national heritage.
This task allowed him to familiarize himself with the hidden treasures in
museum depots and private collections in some of the Royal palaces. He now
continues in the Army Reserve, at present with the rank of Major.
After his studies, Evert Jr. did an internship with Eberhard Kornfeld in Bern. An
outstanding firm, a combination of art gallery, auction house, and publishing
company, all under the same roof. Kornfeld, an intellectual academic, was one of
the greatest connoisseurs of the classical modern art of painting, a movement
stretching roughly from Goya and Delacroix to Picasso and Sam Francis. In his
younger years, as an internee, he had been secretary to Chagall and Picasso. Evert
learnt a lot about this movement, as yet little known in the Netherlands. “Kornfeld
also gave me an insight into the etchings and drawings of Rembrandt, and into
modern graphics. Later on, I often went back to work for them for short periods,
to prepare auctions. At a given moment, the situation was such that I lived and
worked simultaneously in London and Amsterdam, and also worked in Bern for
longer periods of time. At the end of the eighties, they employed me every second
week. Rather hectic, but I learnt so much there!”
The next internship was once again a matter of just gathering knowledge: studying
Douwes restoration, St. Nicolaasga, 1992
the collection of Frits Lugt in the Institut Néerlandais in Paris. Evert stayed with
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the well-known Belgian art dealer Leegenhoek. With him, he made his first deal
after making a ‘discovery’. It so happened that he found a 17th century painting
by David Teniers, which Leegenhoek was willing to buy from him. With the
commission money earned, he could pay for his stay in Paris, and he learnt that
looking closely at the collections of colleagues could be profitable. Where he
really had his eyes popping was in the English country houses and stately
homes during a one-year course at Sotheby’s in London, which came next.
Apart from the theory, the fifty students together with three experts went to
English country homes laden with art. “Where normally speaking there would
be stretched rope barriers, we could step over them and handle everything.”
In July 1979, the Douwes firm took over the lease from an old
acquaintance that wanted to retire from his art dealing business. In Duke
Street, they were “back in town” after 47 years. Evert Jr.: “My father had
always wanted to return to London, but the roots were in Amsterdam, after
all. It thrilled him to bits that we were ‘back’. It produced new business and
new collectors from all over the world. Germans, for example, who until
the nineties had been avid collectors, had the idea that ‘if you made your
choice in London as the art centre, then you would have made the best
choice possible. Or private individuals, who offered a painting exclusively to
you, because they had a distant Dutch relative somewhere along the line.”
In 1986, Evert Jr. for the first time saw a Russian art exhibition. That certainly was
not an everyday happening in London, but in the Soviet Union of Gorbatchev
‘glasnost’ was the order of the day, and thus the world could get to know social
realistic art, a movement that reached its pinnacle in the period 1940-1970. “I was
amazed at the quality, the colours, and the humour of these paintings. I had
thought that the ‘grey communism’ would also be visible on these canvases. The
opposite was true, and I was sold forthwith. The prices were very interesting and
ranged from 500 to 5000 pounds sterling. Not much later, I bought my first
Russian painting at an auction. Through this acquisition, I came into contact with
British people married to Russian wives or having other links with Russia, and thus
succeeded in building a network enabling me to buy good Russian art.
Newspaper clipping NRC, Dec. 2004
Waldorf-Astoria exh., New York, 1982
Douwes gallery at Stadhouderskade, 1997
Each generation of our firm has added something new, and for me it was
‘the Russians’. How the market would develop I did not know at the time, but
before long I had an international clientele for this art. It is funny to see that
the customer always comes off best; it is he who has ‘time’ on his side. At the
moment of buying, it may be a hefty sum for them, but twenty, thirty years
later they come and thank me for having sold it to them.”
The Grosvenor House Art and Antiques Fair, held for the first time in 1934,
was the model for the Vereniging van Handelaren in Oude Kunst – VHOK when
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Evert VII & VIII with Erick-Hans
organising their first fair at the Prinsenhof in Delft in 1948. This Oude Kunst en
Antiekbeurs (‘Art and Antiques Fair’) would eventually grow into a fair of high
quality enjoying an excellent reputation at home and abroad. In the end, the
location proved an obstacle to its further growth. In 1974, a small group of
young art dealers, among them Douwes Sr., started actively looking for another
location. At the insistence of the old guard, it had to be at a distance of 200
kilometres from Delft. This resulted in the first Pictura in Maastricht in 1975,
an event that Douwes Sr. and his extensive network had played a major role in.
He is now justifiably proud of the fact that as a co-founder, he was at the birth
of The European Fine Art Fair, the prestigious annual TEFAF.
Evert VIII with a Joos de Momper
Together, father and son witnessed and supported the launch of the
Dutch art magazine Tableau in the late seventies. And to broaden their
international client base, together with five other Dutch dealers, they
were the first to show their own presentation of first class art and
antiques in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, in 1982 and 1983.
Erick-Hans restoring in Friesland
Restoration studio in Amsterdam, 2004
Evert Jr.: “I view the ever greater role played by the auction houses as market
places of the art world, as an important aspect in the thirty years that I have been
active so far. I have witnessed from nearby the coming into existence of the PAN
(Dutch National Fair in Amsterdam) in 1986, and the great success of the TEFAF.
They provide a counterbalance to the big international auction houses that, on a
worldwide scale and with a great deal of public relations, absorb everything. Fairs
will always remain important, as they were in the 16th and 17th centuries. To
maintain their high quality, much of the knowledge of the art galleries is needed.
But much of the knowledge accumulated by former generations is gradually
disappearing. Expertise is being handed down, but too little. What we are already
witnessing is that the next generation now go to University, absorb a lot of theory,
but (sometimes) lack the practical knowledge resulting from frequently and actually
handling the paintings. The very important paintings are simply no longer offered
for sale. In the sixties, my father could buy two Van Goyens a month, in the
seventies hardly one a month, and if I now come across two in a year, I can count
myself lucky if I am able to buy one.”
He remembers an anecdote about his father buying a rare and early Jan van Goyen
abroad, monogrammed and dated 1623. “During the late fifties and sixties, my
Dad travelled throughout Europe by car. When he returned with his discovery and
crossed the Dutch border, the very first car he passed had the incredible number
plate of ‘VG-16-23’. He laughed so hard, this just could not be a fluke
.… now could it!”
Evert Jr. married his first wife, Ingeborg, in London in 1988. Sadly, she later died
At the gallery on Friday afternoon
of cancer at the age of 38. Together, they had two daughters (Alexandra and
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Olivia), and a son (Evert-Anthony). Recently, Evert Jr. married Ingeborg’s
younger sister Jeanneke, thus once again making the family complete.
At the start of the nineties, the market stagnated, and once again Evert Jr.
decided to join the family firm fulltime. He shouldered the entire organisation
of moving the firm from the Rokin to the Stadhouderskade. In 1994, in this
accessible property, all disciplines once again regained their own proper
surroundings. On its walls still hang 500 years of painting, the same that
junior’s predecessors also dealt in. Can it continue like this, unchanged and in a
difficult art market, with high prices for rarely available art? Evert Jr.: “Loyal
collectors have become less in number, because of lack of time, the influence
of interior decorating, the accessibility of auction houses, and the knowledge
factor helped by fast means of communication. People choose on colour and
for decoration purposes, and no longer choose a painting with an interesting
iconography. Ten, twenty years ago, there were still enough people in Holland
who were genuinely collecting. They took the time to drop by. For two hours,
you relished the joy of discussing and viewing a number of paintings. And
then, you would sell one of them.”
Evert: “Why continue? Is tradition important? Is that a reason to stay
on? Can I myself go on with it, just as ten, thirty, fifty years ago? After
all, aren’t we a kind of institution? With a restoration workshop as an
important component of our business, a wide-ranging documentation
system and library, and five centuries of painting? A two centuries old
company is not something to discard just like that. We have always been
there for the art, the craftsmanship, and the passion. We want to be able
to sell art for everybody. It means we are more intensely occupied with
our trade, and also do not always have the means to buy that great name.
Evert can be jealous of his father’s period, from about 1955 to 1975. “There
was still sufficient supply, and you did not yet have to make choices from
those five hundred years of painting that the firm houses. The present
market situation is different. As a result, some art dealers have changed
course and chosen to focus on just the great names. Or, on just the French
impressionists and the old masters, both groups enjoying international
interest. But, in an old firm such as ours, the passions of our predecessors
with their contemporary art or topography have been handed down to us.
So, when some of our colleagues have problems hanging a 17th century
Hendrick Maartensz. Sorgh next to a 19th century Corot, because they think it
is unorthodox, we do indeed still return home with a gorgeous Cornelis Bega, a
Maris or an Eversen, which we are perhaps able to buy once a year, and which
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Family photo by Paul Huf, 1998
Evert VII decorated, 1998
Three generations ‘Evert’ in the field
Stadhouderskade 40, c. 1885
we cannot let pass, because it so happens that we may have decided to buy only
great names such as Jan Davidsz. de Heem, Jongkind and Springer, now can we?
Evert VIII during Vetting
Evert VIII and Jeanneke, 2005
That is what we are juggling and wrestling with. Personally, I feel that good
and artistic qualities in Art are of all ages. They just need time to prove
themselves. And, in my opinion, once the following generations have
confirmed these important qualities, there are hardly any boundaries
between the different periods and they can indeed be combined together.”
How do you chart a new course so that a next generation can in turn
earn its keep? There is a growing role to play for the Internet. A steadily
growing number of people visit the Douwes site, and ask for information.
More and more, even China is looking our way and it is funny that the market
provided an answer here: participate in the Shanghai Art Fair of 2005.
Evert Jr.: “The Chinese are not yet ready for the old Dutch and Flemish masters,
but they are for the lesser French impressionists. We still stock them, despite much
hard thinking on the subject. They also appreciate our Russian social realistic art; a
movement that has been well received in the Netherlands, but with much less
spontaneity than abroad. It is affordable, and matches our aspiration to have works
of art for everybody. From an international perspective, my expectations are high
here. With these Russian paintings, we hope to tap a new generation of art buyers,
and at the same time, with our experience spanning two centuries, we want to
show the good examples of five centuries of painting.”
Rembrandt is a great love of Douwes Jr.: “when I studied abroad in the seventies, I
was nicknamed after him. I remember coming from the ‘in’ place of Amsterdam
looking like a hippy with long hair and a beard, making drawings in the marvellous
Victoria & Albert Museum in London. My fellow students and professors felt I
looked like him. We even share the same astrological sign”.
But his catching interest really goes back to the days of his internship with
Kornfeld in Bern. As a result, an extensive network has gradually grown
enabling him to organise a Jubilee exhibition of Rembrandt prints.
Rembrandt revival, 2005
Douwes, neighbour of the Rijksmuseum
Invitation to our Jubilee exhibition 200 years Douwes Fine Art, Dec. 2005 - Feb. 2006
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During the past decade the world has been confronted with the 9/11 disaster in
New York, the banking crisis in 2008, social media and faster communication in
general. The public has become more selective and knowledgeable via internet.
The present Douwes generation is aware of these changes and will anticipate the
future. As a board-member of the newly founded ArtBreda art and antiques fair,
Evert VIII tries to actively support the art market in general creating a joint-stage
for colleagues to be able to reach their supportive and new clients.
Beyond his unique yet intense profession Evert jr. spends much time to support
the charity he started together with his first wife, the Ingeborg Douwes
Foundation, focusing onto psycho-social care for cancer patients and their
surrounding family and friends. With this so-called ‘green energy label’ he helps
improving the quality of life, together with an expert field of dedicated
professionals!
BRIEF VERSION OF THE DOUWES FAMILY TREE
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Walraven Jansz. Douwe - wine merchant (born in Antwerpen)
grandfather of Evert Abr. Douwdesse
Abraham Evers - wool-carder (born 1661 in Leiden) father of Evert
Abr. Douwdesse
Evert Abrahamsz. Douwdesse (born 1685 in Leiden) named after his
grandfather and father, whom baptized this Evert together in the
‘Hooglandse kerk’ in Leiden
Evert Douwes II - shipwright and restorer (born 1708 in Leiden)
Evert Douwes III -shipwright and restorer (born 1760 in Amsterdam)
Hendrik Douwes -restorer and art dealer (born 1784 in Amsterdam)
registered the Douwes Fine Art Gallery in 1805
Evert Douwes IV - art dealer (born 1809 in Amsterdam)
Evert Douwes V - art dealer (born 1843 in Amsterdam) established
Douwes Brothers in 1875, together with his younger brother Henri
Henricus Douwes - restorer and art dealer (born 1850 in Amsterdam)
established Douwes Brothers in 1875, together with his older brother
Evert V
Evert Douwes VI - art dealer (born 1888 in Amsterdam)
Evert Douwes VII - restorer and art dealer (born 1928 in London)
Evert Douwes VIII - art dealer born (1953 in Amsterdam) together
with his younger brother Erick-Hans, they again make the next pair of
‘Douwes Brothers’ since 1982
Erick-Hans Douwes - restorer (born 1956 in Amsterdam) as a
restorer, he joined his older brother in the family business in 1982
Evert-Anthony Douwes IX - a future generation !!
(born 1991 in London)